For What?
by TheRagingGamer
Summary: The Hunters and Huntresses fought the Grimm and eliminated them off the face of the earth. But what do you do when in the New World you can't fit into society? Ruby and her friends are forced to live off the streets of Vale as they try to find a better future. Contains AU and WhiteRose/Bumblebee.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Grimm had been successfully eradicated by the valiant hunters and huntresses that had served throughout the war. There was much celebrations to be had throughout the kingdoms. The heroes of these battles were carried through the streets of the liberated cities and great celebration and fairs were thrown in favor of them. Slowly, however, this joy began to die away as the normality of life began to take its place. These heroes, once carried through the streets, were forced to beg for sustenance to the very people that had once shouted their names. Their names were still shouted, but they were shouted to get them out of the way of the emotionless, busy crowd. The memories of Grimm began to fade, and along with it the tales of the heroes.

"...so the balance of the world was once restored." Ruby finished her story as she brought up her hat for any lein people would spare for her. The once red cloaked warrior now sat at the edge of a road in Vale, recalling her tales of the war to whoever would listen in hopes of gaining money. Fortunately for her, the few people who had taken a seat each threw in a lein, thanking her for the story and wishing her luck. She looked up at each of them smiling and thanking them back for the donations they had given her.

Ruby Rose, once the Great War hero of the war against Grimm, was now a simple jobless nobody amid the other tens of nobodies. There weren't too many survivors of the war and most of the other survivors were arrested or found dead a while after the Hunters and Huntresses were no longer needed. The former hunters and huntresses tried to fit into normal society, but the population had grown due to the threat of Grimm being gone. The death rates plummeted and the birth rates rose causing a lack of jobs. The sad truth was that people weren't interested in hiring experts on Grimm, but people with everyday knowledge of numbers and statistics.

The remainder of the heroes banded together into small communities, knowing that all they had left in this world were each other. Ruby started to make her way back to the community where hopefully Yang and Blake would be waiting for her to come back. Yang was all the family she had left from after the war, their parents dying from Grimm attacks, and she was one of the motivations that got her up in the morning. Yang found Blake during the war after Blake had saved Yang from an ambush. After that incident, they stuck close together helping each other in times of needs,

"Hello sir... Have a nice day... Oh you look just adorable... Do you need help with that..?" Ruby greeted people around her as she was walking back with her possessions. Though everyone either ignored her or awkwardly gave a grunt of acknowledgement. No one wanted to associate with the ragged and disheveled figure, knowing that they would be thought to be one them if they did. Despite this however, she continued to smile and greet people which made some people she passed stop and take a look at her again. They all asked themselves why she was smiling so much or checking their pockets and bags to make sure nothing was missing. They had money, a job, and a home and she had nothing, yet why was she smiling so cheerfully?

Ruby eventually got away from the lights and chattering of the shopping district and slowly the scenery started to change. The fresh and colorful look changed into the color of rusted metal and peeling paint as the buildings were looking older and older. The walkways and road were all in poor conditions, riddled with holes and cracks that would take but never give back. She finally relaxed as she saw the familiar sign that marked her home.

"Welcome To The Slums

Home of the poor and

True heroes of this world"

The official sign read "Polorian District" but someone had spray painted the sign to read "Poor District"

Everyone knew each other in this part of the district, but everyone was either to busy worrying about how they would survive the next day or reporting to their own community with what they had obtained that day.

Ruby walked past the boarded up stores and makeshift fires to the collapsed building that held her group. She could see the usual black smoke from their fire and knew Yang was probably huddled around the oil barrel for warmth. She entered through the hole in the side wall and was greeted by her sister Yang.

"Hey little sis, how did it go today? Get anything with those stories of yours?" Yang asked in reply when she saw Ruby walk in. Her cheerful attitude survived everything, despite the harsh conditions, and was sometimes the only thing that kept the group sane.

"Yeah I did! I got $26 today, we can finally afford medicine for Nora!" Ruby replied cheerfully heading into the next room to tell Ren and Nora the great news. Blake and Yang gave out small cries of cheers at the prospect of medicine. Nora had suddenly gotten sick and this was worrying to the rest of the group. Nora was usually energetic and immune to most diseases, so they were worried when she suddenly started becoming weaker and weaker. They were informed by Ren that Nora was fine, but would get better quicker if they could get some medication.

"Hey Ren, Nora we have enough money for the medication you need!" Ruby told them as she entered to room. Ren looked relieved as Nora smiled weakly. "Those meds will really help Nora recover, we can finally stop worrying." Ren said after hearing the good news.

"Where are Pyrrha and Jaune? Aren't they usually back by now?" She asked Ren

"They said they be out longer trying to get some more money for Nora. They should be coming back now."

Ruby grabbed the money for the medication and started to head out. "The pharmacy is still open now, I'm going to buy the meds right now. Besides, Jaune and Pyhraa are that way too, so I may run into them."

Ren got up to stop her, but she was gone in a flurry of roses in a flash. She just needed to go the the pharmacy and get back, nothing too hard or as life threatening as taking on an army of beowulves. She slowed down her run to a walk after she reached the edge of the slums, she didn't want to get arrested for suspicious activities.

The city always roared with activities, even during the night. The colorful signs flashed bright neon colors as people were walking around exploring the massive variety of stores open at the hour. Ruby loved the nightlife of Vale, she would just walk around and observe the shops and people as the lights flashed colorful messages. But she didn't have time to explore as she usually did, needing to get to the pharmacy before it closed. She began to navigate her way through the waves of people, weaving her way through flawlessly. The cloaked girl was almost through the crowd when someone came slamming into her, knocking her back and sending the money flying into the wave of people.

"Ow, watch where you're going!" The person shouted as she got back up, brushing herself off as she did. Ruby didn't notice what she had said, too busy flying about trying to save what money she could. She grabbed some of the Lein but it was flying all over the place, making it harder and harder to grab as people walked by.

"Hey are you listening to me? Are you going to ignore me? Hey!" The stranger shouted until finally grabbing Ruby's shoulder, forcing her to look at the person she had knocked down.

"I'm...I'm so sorry... It won't happen again... goodbye." She apologized and then started to feel tears flowing out of her eyes. She had just lost all of their money because she was to careless, and now Nora would pay the price for her mistake. She walked away, not bothering to answer the questions the person was asking. All she could see was that the person had worn mostly white, her clothes blending perfectly with her icy cold eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

"Spare a bit of cash, any amount helps."

After the war, the remaining hunters and huntresses couldn't find work and were rejected by society. They had no choice but to live outside and beg for what little change people would spare or take arduous jobs that would tax your body but wouldn't pay enough for the essentials needed to survive. Ruby was forced to resort to this like everyone else, taking to the streets with Yang and her friends as they attempted to live on the charity of the people. Though no one seemed to care about the people at the corners and sides of the street, holding their signs of help.

The former hero was no luckier than the rest, asking each passer by for a little charity, her face growing more somber as every person passed by not even bothering to look down. Then one day a woman with snow white hair took a seat next to her and asked one question. "What's your story?" She asked, making herself comfortable next to her.

Initially Ruby was confused, not knowing what she was asking of her, and in shock someone had stopped to talk to her. But eventually it dawned on her and she replied.

"I'm a war veteran." Ruby replied to the stranger weakly, in hopes of getting some donations.

The woman tilted her head with a quizzical look on her face. "Is that it? Surely there must be more. Come on, I'm not going anywhere so tell me some more, what's your story?"

So that's how their friendship started. Everyday the woman would come back and sit down next to Ruby and listen as she would tell her stories about her past. The woman would always give her 5 lien before moving on with her day. Eventually other people started to join them until she had 2 to 3 people including the woman. She would tell stories of the war and even would sometimes make up stories that would entertain them. Eventually Ruby began to smile, greeting people as they passed by.

Then one day the lady never came back.

* * *

People passed by, swarming around like bees in a hive, as they tried to get to their own unique destinations. No one noticed the woman sitting next to the wall, no one had the time or the care too. But one person did, walking next to the man and putting a single Lein into her cup.

As the woman looked up, to see who had given her charity, she was greeted with a friendly smile and the smell of a cigar. The man, who bore a cane and sported orange hair, just smiled as he made her an offer.

"How about you and I go on a little business venture?"

The roaring of the crowd continued, as people passed by buzzing like bees in a hive rushing to their own destinations. Except the duo were no where to be seen.

"Hey Blake, where you going" Yang asked as the darkened figure stood dead still in the doorway. Yang had noticed Blake getting up in the dead of night, and was worried about her friend. Blake had started acting strange a couple months ago, often going out during the middle of the night or refusing to talk to any of them.

"I'm just going out for a quick walk, nothing to worry about." She whispered back, trying to reassure the blonde.

When Yang still looked at her with a questioning look she gave her further reassurance.

"Don't worry, you know I can handle myself if something happens. Just go back to sleep."

With that she vanished into the night, leaving a somewhat reassured Yang alone in the darkened room.

* * *

A man stood huddled over a makeshift fire, making quick glance at the entrance of the empty lot, as he waited for his clients to arrive. After the war ended, some of the Huntsmen who had fought in the war had nothing to come back to, having lost everything they had too lived for to the Grimm. They wandered the streets aimlessly as they tried to find a reason to continue on with their meaningless existence. Some resorted to the power of alcohol, drinking their way to happiness when in reality they were drinking themselves into oblivion. Others experienced the mental traumas of war, wanting it to all stop and going to horrible extremes to try and cure themselves. But why deal with all the problems in the world when you could just end it instantly? Drinking costs money and suffering causes pain, but ending it all….

As the first person climbed onto the edge, closing his eyes as he embraced his death, someone's voice stopped him before he could end it.

"Hey, I got something that may interest you, friend." He was standing next to him, leaning on the railing wearing a long trench coat.

"Try this, friend, if it makes you feel better I can give you some more, just for a small price." He said, offering a little bag with a green pill inside.

The next day he came back, but this time with his friends and lein.

A soft thud alerted the man. His client was here.

"I have what you asked for" he said, taking out a small clear plastic baggie, housing a single green pill, "Do you have the lein?"

The figure, previously sticking to the shadows, walked into the light revealing her black and white clothing.

"I have the money, now hand over the bag." She asked as she made a grab for the bag.

The man just chuckled, holding the bag just out of reach of her hands.

"Looks like you are a little short on cash, it doesn't look like you can afford this weeks supply…. unless of course you pay me in other ways." The man whispered to the figure, getting in closer and closer until they were a breath apart.

"Get away from me, I have the same amount of cash that I've been bringing every week for the past four months." She said pushing the dealer away when he got to close.

"Fine, you got me, but someday you won't be able to pay, and I'm counting down the days until…" He was cut off when a black ribbon snatched the bag from his hand, and all he saw was the figure running in the distance, a figure with cat ears.

* * *

"What do you mean you lost the money?"

Ren and Nora had been together through the whole war, covering each other's back during every battle and skirmish. They had lost everything except each other at a young age, but that only strengthened their bond making them nearly invincible on the battlefield. Whenever one was sick or injured, the other would worry, knowing that they would have nothing to live for if they were to be left alone.

"I'm sorry, Ren." Ruby whispered softly, afraid about the retaliation she was going to get. She had only seen Ren get angry a couple of times, and every time it happened, the once kind and silent person disappeared revealing a demon.

Ren stared at Ruby, his eyes glaring at hers which were looking at the ground in fear of what was going to happen.

Just as he was about to speak, Ren felt a small tug on his shirt. He looked down to see Nora grabbing onto his shirt smiling calmly.

"Don't worry Ren." She said with a calm face, smiling. " I'm going to be fine without those meds, they were only supposed to speed up the process anyway."

Ren's faced softened as he listened to Nora's voice. He turned back to Ruby, but this time with his usual kind eyes.

"I'm sorry about that, Ruby." Shaking his head as he cleared his mind.

"My worries got the better of me, I won't let it happen again, I promise." Ren smiled warmly at Ruby after finishing this.

Ruby was still looking at the ground, ashamed as she looked at the orange haired girl looking so weak. Her mistake had caused more suffering for her friend, and she was determined to fix her mistake.

"I'm going to buy the medicine, I promise" Ruby said looking at Nora. The orange haired girl was about to stop Ruby, but when she saw the determination in her eyes she reconsidered.

"It's my fault that Nora didn't get the those meds, so I'm going to figure out a way to get them for her."

With that she left the room, leaving the two friends by themselves. Ren looked worried, getting up to go stop her, but was stopped when Nora grabbed his arm.

"Ren, we both know we can't stop her when she's like this." Nora whispered, laying back down in a comfortable position, knowing she had nothing to fear.

* * *

**Hello there, and thank you for reading chapter 2 of "For What?". I'm planning on telling the back story of this AU in little shorts before each chapter and also ****through character flashbacks or back stories. If you find any errors in the writing, please PM so I can fix it immediately, also, if you have any questions feel free to PM with those to and I will try to reply as long as it doesn't spoil anything in the story. Anyway thank you for reading, and please review if you have time. Also PM what you want to read more of. If you want more of Ruby, Blake, or other people, just PM. Also, leave a follow, favorite, and or Review if you liked the story.**

**-Raging**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

Vale was always a successful city, even when the faunus were discriminated against and crime rates were high. However during the war, Vale faced an economic boom as more supplies were needed at the front to support the hunters fighting the Grimm. Manual labor was needed, and where else to look but at the overwhelming population of Vale.

Money was plentiful as Vale produced more and more supplies for war. However, when the war was over, Vale was still able to convert the factories that produced weapons and supplies for the war effort, into factories that produced consumer goods.

But, even through these changes, jobs were lost and people had to be laid off. When these previously employed went to look for new jobs, they were shocked to see that none were to be given. So when the successful hunters and huntresses came home after the war, no jobs were available, they were all taken.

Vale was unprepared for this, never having faced a situation like this. No laws were in place to deal with these problems, and no one wanted to pay more taxes. Why pay lein to support a useless group of people in society, when you can spend on a new car or other luxuries?

* * *

What does one do when you fight for a cause, fight with everything you have, only to have nothing left after it's over, except for the empty promises of a better future?

Do you move on, attempting to live normally in the new future, you and your compatriots fought and bled for?

But what if you came back, only to then realize nothing had changed? Everything you fought, killed, and bled for was only used as the stepping-stones for a new future, but one that didn't include you in the picture?

How does one cope with the horrors of war, with the deaths of friends and the scars of battle? Does one ever truly forget the smell of decay that lingers all over the battlefield, or the shaking of the earth as a truly unstoppable force comes to wipe your existence of the face of the planet. It doesn't help when people try to talk to you, comfort you in any way possible. But it feels worse when the people you set out to protect turn their backs on you, throwing you away because you aren't useful to them anymore.

Blake had always been calm and collected, even when the darkness consumed her friends one by one, but she fell apart when she saw that the people they had once tried to protect were attacking them. She needed a way to cope, cope with the slowly creeping darkness that was consuming the last of her sanity.

Blake slowly began to lose it, staring wide-eyed at the shadows cast by the tall never-ending walls that marked her prison. She grasped herself, to cold to move, as she hid in the corner of her mental prison, until finally someone handed her something. She desperately snatched it, willing to grasp onto anything that would help her escape.

When she returned to the world, the darkness in her had receded, but in its place, a new plague had stricken her. Addiction. She thirsted for this green pill, not caring that it was killing her slowly. That's how Blake, the usually calm and collective faunus, was running away from a bad deal, jumping from roof to roof.

Blake was leaping from rooftop to rooftop with the wind blowing through her hair, feeling it rush by her cat ears. As she leapt across the buildings she gazed at the illuminated high-rise that was populated by the rich, knowing that she was still far away from the slums. Blake remembered a time when she used to walk through the town with Yang, laughing and browsing the bookstores as Yang tried to drag her on crazy adventures. But those times were long gone, and Yang had drifted further away from her, distracted away with her own dark nightmares.

The sharp feeling of pain spiked through her body as she felt herself tripping on the roof. She tried to stop herself from falling off, but her body didn't respond as quickly as it used too. As she fell down, back into the darkness, she wondered if anything would ever be the same again.

* * *

The world melted as the blond brawler stuck to the shadows, holding her breath as her target walked past, not suspecting that anything was amiss with the night. She stood dead still, blending in with the darkness as the man stopped, leaning against the wall as he took out a small package of cigarettes. He brought up the edge of his trench coat to block the wind as he took out his lighter, unaware of the movement that was going on behind him. The muffled footsteps began to get closer and closer, as the man took a drag, leaning against the wall.

The sudden screeching of sirens shattered the silence, causing the man to look around in fear. Knowing it was now or never, Yang leapt at the man, fists back ready to knock him out. Though it was too late, the man saw her quickly got into a fighting stance, blocking the blonde's punch with ease.

She cursed loudly, getting ready to retaliate, but when she punched the man this time, his image dissipated into steam. Yang looked around, cursing her own carelessness. How could she forget about the target's semblance? Looking around, she saw the man loudly running away into an alleyway, hoping that the cover of darkness would save him. But his hopes were in vain, as he catched a glimpse of the Brawler speeding toward him as he turned the corner.

Yang sprinted to the alleyway, where the man had disappeared into. She got up against the wall, peeking her head out to shout her warning.

"Come on out buddy! You know you have no way to get away." Yang said, calling out into the dark alleyway. She needed him to respond so she could know where he was.

"You know I'm innocent! What do you have against me, what have I done to you," the man answered desperately, giving away his position to the now poised Brawler.

"I know what you did to that group of hunters," Yang shouted back, her voice filled with anger at the memory of the pair. She had heard them begging desperately to anyone that passed by. Someone had been attacking them, leaving them weaker and weaker every night. Yang approached them in secret, asking for where he usually stayed. "And I'm here to send you a little message from them!" Yang growled as the anger built up more "Can you and I talk this out? How much are they paying you? The man shouted, his voice echoing through the alleyway. Just as Yang was going to move in, something he said stopped her.

"God why did I listen to Roman, I should've never done this," the man cried to himself, regretting his past decisions.

'Roman, where had she heard that name before?' As Yang thought, she realized that all the crimes were connecting. Every person that had assaulted a hunter always did cough up the name Roman whenever she interrogated him or her. They also cursed and spit on his name, always wondering why they took the job from him. But what was to gain from attacking the harmless people that had nothing?

She snapped back to reality when she heard the echoing of his footsteps. Worrying that he may have escaped, she sprinted around the corner only to be knocked back by a tremendous force, hearing the footsteps getting fainter and fainter.

When she got back up, the man had disappeared, but Yang learned something way more valuable. Something that could end all the attacks. Roman.

* * *

"Who's there?" The man shouted, the woman to weak to stand. "Come on out, we don't want any trouble!" They had hid in the alleyway, hoping that he wouldn't be able to find them. They were sitting in the darkness, shivering from the cold, to afraid to light a fire to warm themselves. They were both slipping away into a slumber, until they heard the footsteps.

"Calm down both of you," He had walked out, into the view of the pair, his face lit up by the cigar. "I'm just here to give you an offer."

"We don't have anything to give, and I'm sure as hell not becoming a slave!" He shouted, the woman nodding in agreement. However, the orange haired man just chuckled, taking the cigar out of his mouth.

"I'm here to offer you protection, food, water, and a safe living area, and all I'm asking for is your skill set when you get better. See?" He said giving a reassuring smile. "No harm to any of you. Plus I've heard that you are being attacked, no?"

The couple just stared, afraid to accept his generous offer. Nothing this good ever happened, especially in the slums. But what did they have to lose? They were on the verge of collapsing, and their food reserves were running low. They conversed with each other for a while, making hurried glances at the man, who was stills smoking the cigar, smiling every time they looked.

They came to an agreement, and the man prepared his answer. "Tell us your name."

The man put on the smile, knowing that he had them, and replied. "Roman. Roman Torchwick at your service."

With that they agreed, packing up to leave, unknown about the future.

* * *

Hello everyone, and thank you for reading this far. I would like to thank Cpl. Baker, 13Eclipse37, and Xenika for editing my writing. If it weren't for them this chapter would have probably never been released. Tell me what you think about this chapter and please review, favorite, and follow.

-Raging


End file.
